INTERVIEW – Friday evening, the 38-year-old illusionist was crowned winner of M6 entertainment thanks to a particularly effective new magic number which he performed in 2017.
The suspense was at its height Friday evening at studio 128 in La Plaine Saint-Denis. Around 11:30 p.m., Mathieu Stepson was crowned winner of season 19 of “France has incredible talent” . For his fourth issue, the 38-year-old Trouvillais once again played with time since he used one of his appearances in season 12 in 2017 to bluff the M6 entertainment jury, made up of Eric Antoine, Hélène Ségara, Marianne James and Sugar Sammy, the public present in the room but also the viewers who voted in large numbers for him and allowed him to win the tidy sum of 100,000 euros.
TVMagazine. – How are you just a few hours after your victory?
Mathieu STEPSON. – Very good, a little tired but very happy. I realize little by little. I woke up this morning thinking it wasn't a dream. It's completely crazy!
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You who travel in time, had you envisaged this victory?
By qualifying for the final, I saw that the funnel was narrowing, I had a one in ten chance of winning “France has incredible talent”. Obviously, I thought about victory since it was not impossible. Especially since I saw that there was a buzz on social networks, I knew that I had a lot of support. But at the same time, everyone deserved to win. There were some truly incredible and beautiful numbers. So nothing was decided for me. Wanting to remain realistic, I thought I would be in the top five. But I didn't want to be second, for me it's the worst place. When I was on stage with Inverdance, I said to myself: “I am second”.
Why would coming second have been the worst place?
When Karine Le Marchand announces the losers and the candidates leave one by one, our hearts beat faster and faster, it was very stressful, it's a feeling that I had never experienced before. Being second, we don't even announce your name, it's directly the name of the winner and all the lights are on him.
What made you want to try your luck again at “France Has Incredible Talent”?
I had my show on my hands in which I put all my energy and my money but it was not taking off. A few months ago I saw dates canceled because there weren't enough ticket sales, it's very discouraging. I had the idea for this number that I presented at the auditions where a timer scrolls on the screen behind me. I said to myself that before giving up, before giving up on my show, it might be worth going and proposing this out-of-frame number to the jury to see what it looks like. I was hoping that it would get people talking, that it would shake things up, but I didn't at all expect to have this journey on the show.
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With your unusual magic, you managed to make things happen…
My show is not a traditional magic show. It represents well what I did in “France has incredible talent”. This is perhaps also why the show does not work because people are reluctant to see a show outside the box. I hope that my appearance in “France has incredible talent” will help open things up. My mindset has always been to show people that magic is not just hats and bunnies or shows for children, quite the contrary. In France, we are a little late. In the United States and many other countries, magic is very fashionable.
Did you notify Éric Antoine of your second participation in “France has incredible talent”?
No way. During my audition, we see him looking at me with his eyes wide. He's someone I really appreciate, I often say that he's one of my favorite humans because I love his vision of things and his philosophy of life. We don't have drinks together every weekend but he has always been there and we exchange messages to get news. As we do the same discipline, he invited me to play in his theater in Aix-en-Provence and in his magic festival in Chamonix on several occasions.
“It was a challenging adventure, very stressful but really fun”
Mathieu Stepson, winner of season 19 of “France has incredible talent” on M6
How did the idea for this issue come about, during which you played with events that took place in 2017?
I was going for something completely different. As I usually do, I called my magician friends together to talk to them about it, to debrief a little. We had some great ideas, but putting this act together in such a short time, with all the constraints it could have, I felt like I was going straight into the wall. Finally, I decided to go back to 2017, to evoke a prediction that took place 7 years ago, which was much simpler. On the other hand, I wanted to wrap it perfectly well so that it looked good. I prepared it under immense stress.
Since your audition, have you had any contact with producers?
With producers, no, it doesn't happen at all. On the other hand, I have had around ten serious requests from theater programmers for dates planned from September 2025. I hope that the public will continue to be present. I have seen significant traffic on my website since my hearing. I'm a little bummed to see all these people logging in looking for my dates when there are only five dueling. I have set up a newsletter that people can sign up for to find out about upcoming dates.
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Are you going to use your 100,000 euros to produce your show?
I set up my company to produce myself but the adage “When we want, we can” does not necessarily work because it is also a question of networks. You don't put together a tour when you don't have the contacts. So the 100,000 euros will be used to refine and improve the show.
Since announcing your victory, have you taken the time to send a message to Booder?
I came across a story where he notified me to congratulate me so I replied to him. But since yesterday, my phone has been overheating and I'm obviously going to send him a little thank you message because it's also thanks to him that I won, he's part of the story.
What memories will you keep of “France has incredible talent”?
I will keep the memory of an incredible adventure, of a really cool team, it was a pleasure to work with them, we felt that we were there for a common project. It was a challenging adventure, very stressful but really fun.
What are your projects?
We will first have to respond to all the emails and messages, it will take several days and we will create the rest. The next six months, I have four-five dates planned that had been booked before my victory.
Are you married, do you have children?
I am not married and I have no children. I started doing magic professionally 17 years ago and have dedicated my life to it.
What could you say to the little boy who discovered magic when he was 8 years old?
Don’t give up because in 25 years, you will win “France has incredible talent”. I love watching documentaries about artists' journeys. Each time, I wonder why we never talk about those who never give up and to whom nothing happens. There are some and I am part of it or rather, I was part of it, today I find myself on the other side.
